The grass isn't always greener on the other side of the fence and everyone knows that. The grass is green wherever you water it, care for it, and maintain it. I was in a great position at my old site in regards to technology and was able to do some pretty amazing things. Moving up to the high school and into a new district has been great in other ways, but tech is not one of them.

To be fair, technology is on the way. However, it'll be a while and I'm not willing to wait. Instead of sitting around and hoping for a miracle, it was time to take matters into my own hands. This year's theme: STAY CONNECTED.

No, we don't have 1:1, 2:1, or even 30:1 Chromebooks. The only iPad is one that I brought in, but I can't use Reflector or Apple TV to project the screen and take advantage of everything that we Apple Drones love about the iPad as a teacher tool. This is my lawn, and I'll take care of it to the best of my ability with the resources that I have. What resources are those? Students' devices.

Moving up to the high school is bringing on its own new challenges. Students blindly go through their tweens and teens oblivious to the idea that they are leaving a digital footprint that could seriously affect their futures. With that in mind, part of my job this year is to teach kids how to create a positive digital footprint based on educational tools and resources. We are using Schoology to facilitate better discussion, Instagram for more than just selfies and duckfaces and I've even created a class Twitter account to build in appropriate (not inappropriate, although it looks like it) interaction, 140 characters at a time.

Using QR codes throughout the room, students have active resources that they can access at any point in time. On top of that, administrators or visitors can check in on what we have been doing throughout the course of the school year.

Quick confession: I suck at posting evidence of student work on my walls.

Remedy:

-- Create a single QR code -- have students create a Google Drive folder -- have students share the folder with you -- put their folders into periods -- have students upload proof of mastery for each concept -- look like awesome sauce in a teacher costume

Quick confession number 2: I suck at updating my word walls.

Remedy:

-- Put words into a Google Drive folder -- Print a QR code attached to the folder -- Hang up the entire year and update the folder. Better yet, have students do it. KAPOW

Another realization that was made through the journey of bringing QR codes, Google Drive, Schoology, and the other integrations of technology, is that Digital Natives can be clueless when it comes to using these tools. They are so "native" that we as teachers become naive about their ability to apply technology to education without support and guidance. In fact, Diane pretty much summed it up:

@Jstevens009 I don't believe in Digital Immigrants and Natives. It's a myth.

There's some serious truth to what Diane said. By generalizing such a powerful term, we are assuming that all of our students walk into our rooms with the know-how to tangle with any sort of technology and incorporate it into an educational setting. Sure, they know the correct angle for the premium group selfie shot, but can they share a folder on Google Drive? Many students can find an app to enhance the quality of anything you ask them to do, but can all?

This year, we're staying connected for sure. At the same time, I am staying connected to the fact that my students still need me just as much as I need them.